Wind surf board for down wind???

[cloclo]

I wanted to know what you think about this wind surf board for down wind.
It's 12', 25 wide (not very wide I know) and 5 thick.
Photos:

[PonoBill]

What the heck, give it a go.

[cloclo]

What the heck, give it a go.

Oh yes I'm gonna try for sure, I just wanted to know what people think, if someone has already try a board like that, etc...

[noa]

hi cloclo,
my first sup board was a Mistral competition almost identical in shape to your Equipe. it's a pretty good shape for flat water or mild downwinders. i've done plenty of downwinders on it and it has fantastic glide for it's size. you just have to be carefull with pearling. also mine was very heavy.
i never put a pad on that board (didn't have one, this was in the summer of 06) and the deck grip was pretty dead making the board rather slippery. as you can imagine, a 25" slippery board was amazing to teach me good balance.
anyway, yes they work and they are a great cheap way to learn the ropes. plus being a bit technical mainly due to the width, after you get comfortable on one anything else will feel like a peace of cake.
enjoy...

[Eric]

what a wonderfull end for legendary windsurf boards 

[Ronan "Doc Jacobs"]

Hi Cloclo

Are you going to pull out all the past burried for long in the dust?
The Crit D2 would be also an opportunity...
If you are serious about flatwater(and I know you are), you'll got to choose between downwind and flatwater race, one board doesn't do it all! Noa,happy owner of a beautiful Bark will tell you the same
If you don't find the good stuff on the market, why not having it shaped locally in Brittany?
As for myself, I'm demoing the Starboard The Point, and it is definitly a good downwinder, fast, stable, light, good looking, and it has a rudder.

[DavidJohn]

These old windsurfer boards work fin for flat water paddling.

I used an old TenCarte (12'x29") that looks like the old windsurfer one design and I used it for a couple of years before real SUP's were available.

Last week I dug out another old windsurfer that I had from under my house for a friend to try.. It's an old Cobra board (also about 12'x29") and here's a few pictures from when we tried it out for the first time.

My friend can't afford to buy himself a new board right now and using this at least gets him on the water and having fun.. The biggest problem with these boards are that they're pretty heavy compared to modern SUP's.

DJ

[greatdane]

My first "SUP" board was a 12'6" X 28" Obrien wind surfer... worked great!  Still let friends borrow it to learn on.  But as mentioned before, weighs about 45lbs.

[PonoBill]

I've got an Aiken 10'6" under the beach house at Manzanita. I'll have to haul that out one of these days and give it a go.  Weighed a ton but I used to rip up the gorge with it when it was me and five other guys.  I guess it's back to the same five guys and a few kitesurferes these days. Maybe it's time for me to go back to all that. I still have my Schuler custom as well. What a great board that was.

[goomba271]

I see old windsurfers once in awhile at our local Goodwill - usually for about $25.00.   Compared to a hundred bucks per foot + for a new SUP, it seems like a perfect way to get acquainted with the sport.  Once they're in the water, the weight is much less of an issue.

[DavidJohn]

I see old windsurfers once in awhile at our local Goodwill - usually for about $25.00.   Compared to a hundred bucks per foot + for a new SUP, it seems like a perfect way to get acquainted with the sport.  Once they're in the water, the weight is much less of an issue.

I agree 100% .. 

DJ

[riverrat]

I keep an old F-2 Comet on the dock at my sailing club in the Sacramento Delta for the occasional, unplanned flat water paddle after work.  It's about 11' long and 26" wide.  It's a "carbon" version and surprisingly light.  The board actually has pretty good glide and make a good balance trainer in the summer when the boat traffic gets going.  Some guy paddled the same board at the Jay Race in SC last summer and finished in the top third.

As a side note, this thing is absolutely bulletproof (and light).  No paddle dings/paint chips whatsoever even with my kids banging on it.  Interesting--a 20-year old windsurfing board seems to have better construction technology than most current SUP's.

[Pierre]

Hi Cloclo,
It works  with semi round boards on flat water... ( see in "tribal knowledge" )
I tested a " dufour wing" and it's as fast as a allround 12 footer (12" gong NFA).
 I SUP it as a tender for my boat, normally dressed.
I also tested a old Tiga world cup(similar as yours ) it's a little narrow but works fine. some fellow near my place started wave SUP couple years ago on a windsurfer original.. I tried and it works, I rode a wave immediately, this was my first SUPed wave!
Mistral competition superlight which I also tested is the best compromise.
Did some body tested a 3.90 m (12'10" ) open rounded board ( type crit D2) on flat water? standing on it looks to be a (very) big challenge!

[Pierre]

I forgot that you need a max 12 feet long for northpoint contest race....!